


Winter’s Solitude

by Steampowered_Clockwork



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bad Parent Jacques Schnee, Bombs, Depression, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Self-Hatred, Spoilers for V8 Ch9, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Unreliable Narrator, Winter's PoV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29769249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steampowered_Clockwork/pseuds/Steampowered_Clockwork
Summary: A Handful of dark moments in Winter's life.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Winter’s Solitude

**Author's Note:**

> A little work that was inspired listing to Self-Inflicted Achromantic Jubyphonic Cover.

Winter listened to the clack of her father’s shoes as he circled the room, she tried to ignore it as she continued to work on her test, it was the same every week, her father checking up on her studies and progress.

She could feel his piercing glare every time her pen stilled, already knew his words if she scored full marks, and if she didn’t.

Laughter pierced the silence; Winter fought the urge to look out the wide windows. Her father grumbled to himself.

“You better be finished by the time I get back” He said before closing the door behind him.

She allowed herself a moment to look out the window, in her garden at the back of the house where her little brother and sister.

Laughing, smiling, playing like children, before her father comes out, his face set in a scowl. Their smiles vanish, the laughter stops and the two go back inside and away from Winter’s sight.

Her father huffs and sighs as he returns, one look at her paper he sends her a disapproving look.

“You should be a role model Winter, you should be doing better then this, or do you want to bring you them down with you” her father explained to her.

“I will sir” Winter stated, head back down she got back to her work.

* * *

“Winter do you have the report” Ironwood sat behind his desk.

“I do sir” She transferred the files to him.

Ironwood studied the data on his scroll, his expression changing from thoughtful to frustrated and severe, Winter was broken out of her reprieve as he slammed his fist down on the desk.

“Nothing, we have nothing” Ironwood almost yelled, but he held it back.

“No sir they have alluded our teams thus far” Winter stated.

“We are a laughingstock, first made a fool of during the Vital festival, know we can’t even catch one man murdering my people” Ironwood slumped in his chair, face in his palms.

“We will catch him sir” She tried to reassure him.

“I know you will” He straightened up, “gather another Mantle patrol, bring the ace-ops and Penny with you this time”.

“Sir” Winter saluted, as she was leaving, she caught sight of the General slumping into his chair again.

Winter fought the urge to do the same, but she had a job to do, the General was relying on her and she would not let him down.

She can’t let him down.

********

Winter sat on the edge of her bed, they had spent night and day scouring Mantle, and had come up empty.

She had told the General she would catch him, and she had failed.

Winter tried to block out the disappointed look on the General’s face, she had let him down, he dismissed them deciding to handle matter himself, she had just piled more work onto him.

She remembers Penny trying to console her when they left, but she wasn’t the one who deserved that. It was a task she had taken on and failed, now the others will have to shoulder it, that is her fault.

She thinks back to the exhausted looks on the ace-ops, they hadn’t gotten any sleep, searching the city all night.

She had made a mess of it all, and she’s letting the others clean it up.

She should be pulling her slack to clean up her mistakes, the General has never opposed her nightly patrols, she’s a trained high-ranking soldier, she can handle a solo mission.

Picking up her sabre she began the trek to the hanger.

* * *

The inside of the Whale there was a strange heartbeat that came from all directions, the ace-ops were making the finishing touches on the bomb, they had yet to meet any threats, but it was only a matter of time.

“Done” Elm announced, she passed the controls to Winter.

“So, this is it, we just arm it and go” Marrow asked them.

“Yeah, if those kids are still in here, well then it’s only their fault” Harriet pointedly glared at Winter throughout this, but she ignored it, they didn’t have time for a fight.

“We could always go looking for them” Marrow suggested.

“No, they knew the risks” Winter began while Harriet mumbled something and glared at her again, “Our priority is the bomb”.

Marrow shuffled about in her peripheral unsure, taking the break in potential arguments Winter armed the bomb.

Only for an error message to appear on screen, she furrowed her brow as she looked through the data.

“What is it?” Marrow asked worried.

“The wireless is down” Winter stated blankly.

“Just great” Harriet growled.

“Well, what do we-” Winter stopped listing to Marrow as she mentally went through their options.

There was no wireless, it would have to be set off directly.

It had a short count down, not enough time for someone to arm it and get out of the blast range, one of them would have to stay behind to arm it while the others got to safety.

Winter looked up, Elm was grim faced, Harriet arguing with Marrow who looked torn, Vine gave them all an almost sad but resigned look.

Winter had to make the call.

“Harriet” she got the woman’s attention, “take the other ace-ops and get them to the safe zone”.

“What about you?” Marrow asked concerned.

“I have a plan” Winter gave a look to Harriet, hoping she would get what she meant.

“Yes ma’am” with a salute told her that.

Harriet practically had to push Marrow away still looking back concerned, but they had left and now Winter just had to buy them enough time to get out.

Winter stood with the thrum of the Whale, counting down what she guessed was the amount of time they took to arrive.

When she hit zero everything felt strangely silent, she had no way of knowing if that was enough time, but she couldn’t wait any longer.

Crouching down she entered in the detonation code, and the timer clicked on, so she sat there, with the sound of the Whale, the ticking of the timer as it counted down.

5…4….3….2…1.

She felt burning, it was like she had been slammed into a brick wall, the air flew out of her lungs, and for a moment everything was a mix of fiery red and bright green.

Winter lay there, her back and side ached, her arms were in agony, and something was definitely burned. She had a pressure on her front that made it hard to breath, her hearing was ringing.

As the pressure on her shoulders tightened, she opened her eyes, and meet a mass of orange and glowing green eyes.

Penny’s face was twisted in distress, like she was crying without tears, she turned her head as she caught a flicker of light, a short ways away the Whale was up in flames, lighting up the night sky.

“I….” Winter tried to talk but couldn’t figure out what to say, “You need to-”

“No” Penny shook her head, “I’m not going anywhere”, Penny leant down and hugged her, “I’m staying right here forever and there is nothing you can do to stop me”.

Winter looked up into the star filled sky with smoke rising the distance.

“Okay Penny” she sighed, the sound of shouts came in the distance, turning her head to the side again she spotted Weiss and her friends running up to them, she spotted the trio who entered the Whale among them, “Okay”.


End file.
